Defending champion Ray Hope is tipped to retain his mountain bike title in the 10th annual Coastal Classic at Taieri Mouth tomorrow.
Hope (48), a Dunedin carpenter, took the lead in the last 10km to win last year's 52km race in 2hr 21min 3sec.
Mountain biking is the Hope family sport and Ray will be joined in the 52km race by wife Linda and daughter Shannon (16).
The Hopes are part of the five-strong Cycle World team that is completed by Paul Gough and Paula Hasler, who are also contesting the 51km race.
A strong contender for individual honours is Geoff Keogh, an experienced veteran road cyclist, who has turned his hand to mountain biking in recent years.
Other contenders in the 51km men's race are experienced Coast to Coast competitor Steve Crackel (Dunedin), Alistair Green (Te Anau) and Murray Gray (Dunedin).
Gray's daughter, Mary, a former New Zealand junior mountain bike champion, is expected to win the women's 52km race, while Josephine King should win the masters race.
Lorraine Stewart will contest her 10th Coastal Classic in the 39km veterans' mountain bike race.
Late entries on the day are expected to boost numbers in the mountain biking, running and walking races to 450.
Experienced ultra-distance runner Russell Hurring will contest the 21km half-marathon in the Coastal Classic for the first time. He made his name in the early years of the Kepler Challenge and held the race record for a long period. He will be challenged by Kim Billing (Invercargill) and marathon specialist Stafford Thompson (Ariki).
Thompson's wife, Bridget, will be competing alongside her father, Russell Hurring, and she will be a contender in the women's race.
The women's favourite is Mel Aitken (36), a Dunedin senior police sergeant, who will be defending the title she won last year in 1hr 39min 22sec.
Leith club runner Louisa Andrew and Dalise Sanderson (Ariki) will be prominent in the women's 12km race.
Sharron Hansen (12km) and Carolyn Marslin (half-marathon) are two Queenslanders competing in the event for the first time.
The three mountain bike races are over 15km, 39km and 51km but the longer race is the most important. The running races are the Craypot 12km and the 21km Akatore Challenge.
All races start and finish at Livingstonia Park at Taieri Mouth.
Coastal Classic: Where, when, what
Venue: Livingstonia Park, Taieri Mouth.
Start: Tomorrow, 10am.
Mountain biking: 15km, 39km and 51km.
Running: Craypot Run (12km), Moturata Walk (12km), Akatore (21km).
